The science of what drugs are and how they work lets us quantify and compare the harms caused by different drugs. With this information we can radically transform drugs law, and hugely reduce crime and all the other social, economic and health harms currently caused by drugs. The book is written in plain English. It is intended for people who take drugs, and those dealing with the harms drugs cause: parents, teachers, doctors, politicians, social workers and law enforcement agencies.

- It explains what drugs are, how they work, and how people become addicted.

- How harmful are alcohol and tobacco compared to illegal drugs?

- Does the 'War on Drugs' cause more harm than good? How does it affect legitimate scientific research into potentially valuable therapies?

- What should you tell your children about drugs, and at what age?

1 Why I had to write this book

2 Is ecstasy more dangerous than horse riding?

3 How can we measure the harms done by drugs?

4 Why do people take drugs?

5 Cannabis, and why did Queen Victoria take it?

6 If alcohol were discovered today, would it be legal?

7 “Meow meow” – should mephedrone have been banned?

8 What is addiction? Is there an “addictive personality”?

9 Can addiction be cured?

10 Cocaine – from chewing to crack

11 Why was smoking banned in public places?

12 Prescription drugs

13 Can drugs improve performance?

14 Psychedelics – should scientists try LSD?

15 The War on Drugs, and drugs in war

16 The future of drugs

17 What should I tell my kids about drugs?

a refreshingly clear-eyed work. Anyone looking for a calm and objective overview of the drugs available in Britain would do much better to read Professor Nutt’s book than to believe what they read in the papers, or what they hear from the lips of government ministers.

- The Economist

"Nutt is both committed to rigorous, evidence-based policy and to clear, no-nonsense prose that makes complex subjects comprehensible. [...] a book that everyone should read."

- Cory Doctorow Boing Boing

"There's an inherent danger in any sector of education: if the teachings fail to measure up to the truth, then we'll be paving the way for a deep distrust and a greater apathy. With this in mind, it is of tremendous enthusiasm that we welcome Professor Nutt's book: Drugs - Without the Hot Air"

- Jason Reed Huffington Post

David Nutt is Edmond J Safra Professor of Neurosychopharmacology at Imperial College, London, but is best known as 'the scientist who was sacked' by the UK's Home Secretary because he compared the harms of horse-riding with taking ecstasy or cannabis.

He was Chair of the ACMD's Technical Committee for seven years, and became chairman of the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs in 2010.